VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Hong Kong's legislature unanimously voted on Thursday to overhaul district-level elections by drastically reducing the number of directly elected seats, which critics said would further shrink democratic freedom in the Chinese-ruled city.

Under the amendment, only 88 seats would be directly elected by the public, down from 452 in an election that saw a landslide victory for the democracy camp in 2019.

The overall number of seats would also be reduced from 479 to 470. No date has been set for the next election.

The amendment will further stifle the remnants of democratic opposition in the former British colony, where a national security law that China imposed in 2020 has already led to the arrest of former lawmakers and district councillors and the break-up of several political parties.

Candidates who want to run in the next election will have to pass a national security background check and secure at least three nominations from several committees, effectively barring most democracy advocates from running.

"The pro-democracy camp are obviously gone in the election," Lemon Wong, the vice chairperson of Tuen Mun District Council and one of the few remaining democrats, told Reuters.

"I will try my best to enjoy the remaining six months of my career as a councillor, because it would be difficult to have a next time," Wong said.

Following months of anti-government protests in 2019, China imposed the national security law to criminalise what it considers subversion, secessionism, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with penalties of up to life imprisonment.

Critics say the law is used to stifle dissent in the city that returned to Chinese rule under a "one country, two systems" formula meant to safeguard its freedoms for 50 years.

City authorities and the Beijing government deny cracking down on dissent but say it is vital to preserve the law and order that underpins the financial hub's economic success.

Although Hong Kong's district councils (DC) are mainly focused on community issues, such street sweeping and bus stops, Beijing and Hong Kong authorities say they want to ensure only "patriots" can be elected to them.

The city leader, John Lee, hailed the amendment as an important milestone in improving governance.

"We must plug the institutional loopholes and completely exclude those anti-China and destabilising forces," he said in a statement.

"This legislative exercise implements the principle of 'patriots administering Hong Kong' ... DCs are firmly in the hands of patriots."

China had promised universal suffrage as an ultimate goal for Hong Kong in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

A spokesperson for the EU said in a statement that it was calling on "the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in Hong Kong’s democratic processes, and to pursue the establishment of universal suffrage that is enshrined in the Basic Law".

Pro-democracy politicians won 388 out of 452 district council seats during the last district council election in 2019, taking almost 90% of the seats and humiliating the pro-Beijing camp. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has assured that the research and innovation development budget managed by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is sufficient.

She pointed out that the BRIN budget is also supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) on Wednesday.

"Next year, the indicative ceiling will slightly decrease to Rp5.9 trillion (around US$392 million). However, if BRIN needs more, there is around half a trillion rupiah from LPDP," she said.

This year, the government has allocated a budget of Rp6.66 trillion to BRIN. In 2022, the budget allocation was Rp6.46 trillion, with an absorption of Rp5.8 trillion.

As of June 2023, she informed that the realization of this year's budget allocation has only reached Rp1.7 trillion (around US$112.9 million).

"We hope that by the end of the year, other components like salaries can be absorbed, so we can ensure that the budget is sufficient," said Indrawati, who is the deputy chair of BRIN's steering board.

She assured that the government is always ready to meet the need for research funds.

"We continue to monitor the needs, from laboratory construction to equipment purchases. The head of BRIN said the equipment is expensive," she added.

However, she stated that the most important thing is that the equipment can be used by researchers.

In 2022, the government allocated Rp1.17 trillion (US$77.6 million) sourced from State Sharia Securities (SBSN) to build some BRIN facilities.

However, the budget realization only reached Rp957 billion (US$63.5 million).

This year, the government re-launched the development budget for BRIN with an initial ceiling of Rp240 billion, which was increased to Rp519 billion (around US$34.4 million). Until June, the budget realization had only reached Rp20 billion.

"There is still half a trillion rupiah (from the development budget) that must be absorbed within the next six months," Indrawati said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga has emphasized that women must not be left out of peace and security agendas.

"Women are strong peace activists and capable negotiators," she said while delivering her remarks at the ASEAN Women Peace and Security (WPS) Summit here on Thursday.

At the conference themed "High-Level Dialogue to Advance the Implementation of the Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security," Puspayoga observed that conflicts have a profound and often disproportionate and harmful impact on women and girls.

She added that women and girls are more vulnerable to gender-based violence that is worsened by conflict.

"To this end, women's participation is very meaningful in the peace process to improve the effectiveness, legitimacy, and sustainability of peace," she said.

According to the minister, women have a natural sensitivity that can help build a sense of mutual respect and inclusivity among various groups.

However, she said, in conflict prevention, peace negotiation, and post-conflict reconstruction, women are often viewed as weak, and their voices are often underestimated.

She added that, as the chair of ASEAN in 2023, Indonesia has picked the theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth," which symbolizes the country's commitment to increasing the significance and relevance of ASEAN in the region as well as on the global stage.

She expressed the hope that the ASEAN WPS conference would help strengthen commitment and collaborative action to fully advance the agenda of women, peace, and security.

"Let us identify concrete steps and real actions regarding how women implement peace and security that will bring transformative changes across ASEAN," she said.

The minister expressed optimism that when women are empowered and children are protected well, prosperity will be available for all.  (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is optimistic that Ewer Airport in Asmat District, South Papua Province, would open isolation and accelerate the mobility of individuals and goods in the region.

"Connectivity between regions, be it a district, province, or island, is very important. Great connectivity can speed up the mobility of people and goods. It can also open up isolation," he said during the inauguration of the Ewer Airport Terminal on Thursday as broadcast from the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel.

He noted that Ewer Airport has, so far, served flights from Timika twice a week, flights from Kamur four times a week, and flights from Merauke four times a week.

The president is upbeat that Ewer Airport would also open tourism in Asmat and provide a multiplier effect for the economy in South Papua.

On the same occasion, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi  stated that the construction and development of transportation infrastructure in Asmat District showed the government's commitment to equitable distribution of development across Indonesia, especially in South Papua.

He said that the government also built a passenger terminal at Ewer Airport having a touch of minimalist architecture, with ornaments and interiors inspired by Asmat culture.

"Like the installation of a miniature Asmat boat that is not just a means of transportation but also a philosophy of life and death for the Asmat tribe," Sumadi explained.

He said that Ewer Airport has been developed from 2018 to 2022, with a total budget of Rp287 billion using the state budget.

The Ewer Airport has a runway sized 1,650 m x 30 m to accommodate ATR72-600 type aircraft. Meanwhile, the passenger terminal, measuring 488 square meters, can accommodate up to 14 thousand passengers per year, Sumadi noted. (Antaranews)